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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

효녀 심청 Filial Daughter ShimCheong- Korean Fairy Tale

This is a Korean fairy tale about a girl called ShimCheong, and the steadfast love and loyalty she has for her blind father. The original korean text was found in a book by 도서출판 새샘 and the author and artists are 글-신예영 (Shin YeYeong) and 그림- 김윤주 (Kim YunJu) All rights to them for the actual story, the translations were my own though.

Once upon a time, there was a blind man named Shim Hakgyu and his daughter ShimCheong. ShimCheong’s mother passed away a couple days after giving birth to her, and so the blind father had to raise her.

Count Shim went holding his crying daughter to the local neighborhood women. “Excuse me miss, would you please give milk to my daughter?” “Tsk Tsk, poor thing.” ShimCheong grew up by getting some of the local ladies’ milk and by eating porrige.

One day, the neighbors made some rice so they called ShimCheong. “Cheong will you eat a little bit of this rice cake and then go home?” “Miss, if I take this instead of eating this, would that be okay with you?” “You must be thinking of your father!” “Dong worry, eat. I will wrap your father’s rice cakes later.” “Thank you.”

There was no one who didn’t know that ShimCheong was a good daughter. One day another town’s Dukecalled ShimCheong to his home. “You are ShimCheong right?” “Yes, that is right.” “You have not only a beautiful heart but also a pretty face too.”

The Duke’s wife did not have any daughters, so they wanted to adopt her in order to have her as a step daughter. “Child, I wanted a daughter like you but I do not have any, will you not live with me?” “Thank you for your offer but I must take care of my blind father so...” “Well how does you spending the day here and then returning during the nighttime sound? I will give you delicious food and pack some for your father everyday!” “Thank you. Ma’m.”

At the thought of being given delicious food and also some for her father too, ShimCheong decided to do it. One day ShimCheong was a little late coming back from the Duke’s house. Her father, was becoming worried so he went out to meet her. But he fell into the stream. “Someone save me!”

A monk that was passing by saved the father. “Whoever it is that saved me, thank you so much.” “I am a monk from the MungEun temple, I see you are blind.” “If I could see with these two eyes I would have no other wishes. “If you donate 300 big bags of salt to the temple you can see again. “Is that right?”

Returning home, ShimBongSa could not withstand his worrying. “I’m going to go crazy, where am I going to get 300 bags of salt?......” Just then, ShimCheong came back. “Father, I’m back!” The father’s sad expression turned into one of surprise when he saw ShimCheong. “Father, what are you doing?” “Nothing. Just stuff......” ShimCheong still asked ShimBongSa to tell the truth. “

One day, ShimCheong heard the village ladies talking near the well. “The fishermen were looking for a virgin.” “Why a virgin?” “That's obvious. They need one for the sacred offering at InDangSu. So give the girl whatever she wants. Hearing those words, ShimCheong went quickly to find the sailors.

“Well, I came because I heard you were searching for a virgin.” ShimCheong stated stated the circumstances of the 300 bags of rice and decided to sell herself. “It’s very rare to see a good daughter like you. It hurts my heart to offer such a good lady to InDangSu.” ShimCheong asked them to keep this a secret from her father and then went home.

“Father, I sent the 300 bags of rice to temple MongEun.” “With what kind of means could you send that much rice?” “The Duke gave it. But in return I have to go live only there. So, I cannot come see you father. Please have your eyes quickly healed and you have to live well.” “Oh no, Cheong!” ShimCheong had no other way but to lie.

Finally it became the day for ShimCheong to be sold. ShimCheong woke up early in the morning, laid out her fathers clothing, and prepared his meal but she couldn't stop the tears from coming out. “Who will prepare father’s meal and fix his clothing? Father!”

ShimCheong tried hard to hid her tears, preparing the table and bowing low in a last farwell greeting. “Father, please accept this. Also please let your eyes heal and please have a long long life.” “Cheong, why are you saying these things all of a sudden?” “Father, today is the day that I have to go to the Duke’s house.”

Then they heard the sound of the sailors. “Now time has arrived.” They also heard the sound of the neighborhood people crying. “Cheong! What is this sound? By chance are you following the sailors?... .” “No father, well goodbye.” “No! Cheong, what is the use of opening my eyes by selling my own child! You absolutely cannot go! Hello! Please grab my child!”

The sailor’s hears were also hurting, but they couldn't do anything because a lot of peoples lives depended on her sacrifice. When the boat arrived at InDangSa the sailors preformed the ancestral ceremony and ShimCheong prayed.

King Yang questioned ShimCheong. “Are you ShimCheong?” “Yes, you are right.” “Why did you allow this to happen?” ShimCheong told him the truth. “Oh oh! Such filial daughter who is so rare. I will send you back up to the world again.”

Some days later, the sailors passed by InDangSu and saw a large lotus flower. “Look at that!” “What on earth, why is this lotus in the sea?” Since it looked like a strange thing, the sailors took the big lotus with them back to the king. The king marveled at the strange flower, and took a good look at it. Then, the flower opened and ShimCheong appeared. “Who are you???... .” ShimCheong then told him the truth.

The king believed that everything was the will of god and welcomed ShimCheong as a queen. Queen ShimCheong couldn't stand the curiosity she had for news about her father. “The Queen’s complexion is not well!” “I’m sorry.” “Don’t worry. I have decided to throw a party for all the blind people.”

The party was held for three days. From the morning, the queen would go to the palace gates and wait for ShimBongSa to come. Two days had passed, but ShimBongSa had not come. “What is happening” the king comforted the queen who was worrying. “We don’t know if he regained his vision during thist time. If he did not regain his vision he will definitely come tomorrow. Lets wait.”

On the third day the queen was waiting outside the palace gates for ShimBongSa. Finally, she saw ShimBongSa’s figure. “Father!” “Who are you? My daughter is not a person of this world... .” “Father, it’s me Cheong.” “Cheong? Are you really her?” “Yes, father! Open your eyes!” “Cheong~!” ShimCheong’s extreme love for her father moved god, and he made her father open his eyes the moment when she asked him too. ShimCheong who had become Queen lived with her father happily ever after.

*This story displays ShimCheong's extreme filial piety that she has towards her father. Despite her young age, she does everything in her power to help her father and those around her to make their lives easier. In Asia filial piety is highly important and enforced, so you can see lots of children's stories having themes revolving around it. . For the translation aspect of this story, giving the right title to ShimCheong's father was difficult because the translation isn't completely smooth from Korean to English. Also, on another translation note InDangSu is actually a place in the ocean that is considered special, and used a long time ago for sacrifices to the gods. So, the fishermen took a boat to go to this part of the ocean in order to sacrifice ShimCheong.